Felipe Oliveira Baptista

Felipe Oliveira Baptista was firing on all cylinders last season, so it wasn't altogether surprising that his new collection elaborated on some of the previous one's themes. There were new iterations of his bonded leathers, and notably, today's show found Baptista furthering his exploration of uniform dressing—numerous mono-colored looks offering a kind of updated suiting proposition. The designer also expanded on last season's emphatic shoulder, constructing a forceful sloped-shoulder silhouette that was a mainstay of the collection and ultimately came off a bit heavy-handed.

The best looks saw Baptista operating with a much lighter touch. He had developed a couple of very cool technical materials—iridescent nylon blends—that were deployed with great grace in spare, mid-calf skirts and dresses that seemed to shimmer down the runway. The effect was very arresting. Baptista also turned out several nice variations on men's suiting, such as a crisp black jumpsuit and a black wrap jacket bisected by a plain gray belt. In both those pieces, the designer struck a good balance with his shoulders: They were still strong but not distractingly aggressive. All in all, this collection wasn't quite as dazzling as Baptista's last, but its highlights, especially two glittering mid-calf dresses, were truly singular and breathtaking.